Mary T. Smith
Bio
Mary T. Smith (1904-1995) was born in southern Mississippi and worked as a domestic servant throughout most of her adult life. Smith was born with significant hearing loss, which became more severe with age and made her speech difficult to understand.
As part of the Southern tradition of "yard shows" that black artists used to decorate their property and convey messages that could not be openly voiced, Smith created an outdoor environment of incredibly graphic oil enamel paintings on found wood and pieces of corrugated roofing metal that she would drag home from a local garbage dump.
Exhibition History
Selected Exhibitions
2023
Death of an Outsider, SHRINE, LA
2019
SHRINE, NYC
2016
SHRINE, NYC
Untitled (three figures), 1980, Enamel and house paint on corrugated metal, 27 1/2x 60 in
Untitled (figure on yellow), 1980, House paint and enamel on wood, 31 1/2x 24 in
Untitled, 1980, House paint and enamel on ax-cut corrugated metal, 35 x 26½ in
Untitled, ca 1980s, enamel and house paint on corrugated metal, 68 x 7 in
Untitled (two figures), 1980, Oil enamel and house paint on metal, 30 x 26 in
Untitled, ca 1986, enamel and house paint on corrugated metal, 55 x 15.5 in
Untitled (figure with flowers), 1988, house paint and enamel on wood, 36 x 48 in
He No More, 1989, enamel and house paint on corrugated metal, 30 x 27 in
Untitled (“WB WOT”), ca. 1980s, enamel and house paint on wood, 19 x 48 inches
Untitled, 1980, oil enamel and house paint on wood, 31½ x 22 in
Mr Tornbar/I Want an Apartment, enamel and house paint on corrugated metal, 84 x 38 in